Market share is up for Scania, but company says the market is still clouded by a sense of uncertainty
By Gary Worrall| July 28, 2011
Despite a confirmed increase in market share during the first half of 2011, Scania Australia boss Roger McCarthy says there is still a “sense of uncertainty” surrounding the Australian truck market.
“Market conditions in Australia in the first half of the year exhibited an ongoing sense of uncertainty, partly driven by the lead-up to the announcement by the Federal Government of its carbon tax policy,” McCarthy says.
“From Scania’s perspective, our year-to-date (YTD) market share of 4.5 percent is an increase on the 3.6 percent on the YTD figure in June 2010, and our total deliveries for the year to date are up.”
Although he did not want to comment directly on the political climate, McCarthy says the current lobbying both for and against the carbon tax has unsettled the entire economy despite a seemingly endless boom in the mineral resources sector.
“We anticipate trading conditions in the second half to continue to be rather unsettled due to the influence of factors external to the truck industry, both within and outside Australia, but are projecting Scania sales will continue to maintain growth,” he says.
Having sown the seeds for Scania to improve its overall performance, McCarthy says it is now vital for the company to be seen as more than just a truck retailer.
“Whilst all growth in delivery volumes is positive news, we continue to work towards providing more than just hardware to our customers and have developed, and are continuing to develop, a wide range of products and services for our customers that add profitability to their businesses,” he says.
“These include driver training, fleet management and Scania Truck Rental, to name just three.”